Staff Writer Haley Aguayo
Former Dallas College faculty member June Cheatham, 77, passed away after a prolonged illness in Dallas on Feb. 9.
Cheatham was born on Sept. 9, 1944. She received her Bachelor of Science in 1974 and master’s degree in 1978, both in political science from the University of Texas at Arlington. She led a life devoted to her educational pursuits which continued throughout the years she worked at Dallas College.
“She was a professor of government at El Centro then at Brookhaven, then she came to Richland to teach. It was during her time at Richland that she became the associate dean, School of Humanities and of Fine and Performing Arts. I worked with her directly. I was her supervisor for five years” said Dr. Sherry Dean of when she worked as executive dean to the same department.
According to Dean, some of Cheatham’s responsibilities included the “supervision of the history and government adjunct faculty.”
Dean recalled how people viewed her when she worked for Richland. “She was a wonderful woman, absolutely a delightful woman,” she said.
“She loved people. She cared about people a lot. She was an extremely generous person. Anytime anyone had a need she’d be the first person to slip them a twenty. That’s just how she was. She took good care of our adjunct faculty. She made sure that they had the classes and technical support they needed. She really made these faculty members feel like they were a part of the team. She made them feel valued.”
According to Dean, some of Cheatham’s favorite pastimes were reading, listening to music, staying up to date with her own teaching skills by keeping up on trends. Another one of her favorite pastimes was hosting Christmas parties. She and her family were known to host large gatherings at Christmas.
“They’d have about 10 Christmas trees in the house. They would start decorating in September,”. Dean said as she laughed at the memory. “It was truly spectacular. It was like going to Disneyland at Christmastime.”
Cheatham retired from Richland in 2014.
According to Dean, many members of the faculty and former students attended the service, which took place on Feb. 26 at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas.
Cheatham was proceeded in death by her husband Kirk Cheatham, who passed away last year. She is survived by her son, Chris Jenkins.
